How to clean a sofa or lounge suite
Spills and stains can spoil the look of your furniture, but here are some easy tips to clean an upholstered sofa or lounge suite.
15/09/2018
Daily living can be hard on upholstered furniture, but giving it a good, deep cleaning won't take you long and your upholstered furniture will look and smell better. The method below can be used for all types of fabric upholstered furniture, including microfibre, cotton and linen fabrics.
Step 1 - Deep Clean
Remove any seat cushions, if these can be removed. You want to be able to vacuum the sofa to remove as much dust and dirt as possible, especially between the seats and at the back of the sofa. Most vacuum cleaners have a slim, long nozzle attachment that is ideal for getting into the cracks between seat and back, so use this.
Switch to a brush attachment for cleaning off the surface of the seats, back and arms of your upholstered furniture. Getting rid of as much dust as possible is important at this stage, you want this gone before you start deep cleaning.
Step 2 - Deodorize
After vacuuming away the dust, sprinkle the entire sofa with Bicarbonate of Soda. This is a product you should already have in your pantry since it can be used for various tasks in and around the home, and it's ideal for removing odours. You might not think your sofa is smelly, but consider that you sit on the furniture every day and your body releases natural oils and sheds skin cells and if you have pets - even more reason to de-odorize your upholstered furniture. Let the Bicarbonate of Soda sit for about 30 minutes before you vacuum clean.
Step 3 - Wipe Clean
Using a damp microfibre cloth, wipe down the entire sofa. You will be surprised at how much ingrained dirt you can remove simply by using a damp microfibre cloth. Rinse the cloth clean in warm water repeatedly as you work. If you find that there are heavily stained areas that don't come clean simply by wiping with a cloth, add some upholstery or carpet cleaner to warm water for a more intensive cleaning.
GOOD TO KNOW: Before using any type of cleaner on your upholstered furniture, do a spot check beforehand. Clean an inconspicuous area like the back of the couch to make sure the fabric won't be damaged. For heavily stained upholstered furniture you may need to consider hiring a steam cleaner for the day, or having a professional company come in and do the work for you.
For more articles on cleaning upholstered furniture, suede or leather suites, visit our Lifestyle section.